According to a new decision in the Coalition, the elections in the Capital would be organized on December 7. Also then, partial elections must be organized in several localities in the country. The attendance at the elections for the Capital City Hall could be low, in the absence of a real stake and a strong candidate from the opposition, say political analysts. Professor Radu Carp draws attention to the fact that AUR, the main opposition party, failed to propose a credible candidate in the Capital, and the people of Bucharest seem increasingly disinterested. “They saw that the city works without a mayor or with an interim one, and the lack of a strong figure further reduces the motivation to go out to vote.” this one shows.
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By-elections will be held on December 7. Then the new mayor of Bucharest would be elected. The decision came in a closed-door meeting of the leaders of the governing coalition. They also agreed that each party would have its own candidate and that their leaderships would be responsible for a non-aggression pact. In addition, PSD would have wanted a guarantee that PNL and USR would not withdraw in favor of each other, but such a decision was rejected.
According to the electoral legislation, the Government Decision for setting the date of the elections must be adopted at least 30 days before the polling date. Therefore, the Executive must approve the official electoral calendar in the next period. Therefore, the decision must be formalized quickly.
Coalition candidates top polls
By setting the date of the elections, the Coalition passes the critical point, says political science professor Radu Carp, and the elections could bring exactly the candidates circulated so far and measured in the polls.
“I think it’s past the tipping point. I don’t think there will be another moment like that until election day. It will probably be the candidates who are already established and who have been tested, that this poll was not leaked for nothing. One candidate from PNL, one from PSD and one from USR were tested. At the moment, the best placed are Mr. Băluță, Mr. Ciucu and Mr. Drula. AUR has never had a credible candidate in Bucharest”explains Radu Carp for “Adevărul”.
The lack of a stake, however, could result in a low-turnout election. AUR, the main opposition party, does not have a strong candidate in Bucharest. “It might be a low turnout, because it’s not a big stake. The people of Bucharest have seen that even without a mayor, Bucharest continues to function and even with an interim mayor. It might not be a big stake, especially since this part of sovereignty, let’s say, they don’t have a credible candidate so far. Not having a candidate, then this stake disappears and I don’t see how there could be a big turnout. Even if it’s after the National Day, on 7 December, I get it, but I still don’t see how attendance would be reached, not even the one we saw in 2024”, says Radu Carp.
What the numbers of possible candidates look like
Until now, the polls of the last few months have placed Daniel Băluță, the mayor of sector 4 in the Capital and PSD first vice-president, in first place. However, a candidacy was not formalized, neither in his case, nor in the case of the liberal mayor of sector 6, Ciprian Ciucu.
The latest CURS survey, published on October 19, also places Daniel Băluță (PSD) in first place, with a percentage of 25%. He is followed by deputy Cătălin Drula (USR) and the mayor of Sector 6, Ciprian Ciucu (PNL), both with 18% each. Anca Alexandrescu (independent) is credited with 10%, and Cristian Popescu Piedone (PNRR) with 9%. Virgil Alexandru Zidaru (Makaveli) and Mihai Enache (AUR) each have 5%, and Vlad Gheorghe (RIGHT) and Ana Ciceală (SENS) are rated with 3% each.
For the time being, from the Coalition, Cătălin Drula, former president of the USR party, who would have also wanted the support of the PNL, has announced his intention to run. Another announced candidate is Ana Ciceală from the SENS party, broken from USR. Other candidacies circulated are those of the coalition parties, PSD – Daniel Băluță and PNL – Ciprian Ciucu, that of the current interim mayor Stelian Bujduveanu and that of the former MEP Vlad Gheorghe.
Liberal Ciprian Ciucu stated that he cannot take this step without a decision in the formation. “Each party has to come up with its own candidate, as you know, we did an opinion poll. It shows me detached as an option for the Capital City Hall. I cannot announce a candidacy, not even an intention. I have to make sure that the government will set the date, and then we have internal, statutory procedures. Until these stages are burned I will not announce anything”, said Ciucu on Tuesday evening.
For the time being, it is not clear from the sovereignist camp which candidates could appear on the ballots in Bucharest. Mihai Enache was the AUR candidate in the last local elections and obtained 3.04%, being in last place. Virgil Alexandru Zidaru (Makaveli) announced some time ago his intention to run. At the same time, a possible candidacy of TV producer Anca Alexandrescu is also being considered.
